Smile Line and Periodontium Visibility

A patient’s smile expresses a feeling of joy, success, sensuality, affection and courtesy, and reveals self-confidence and kindness. A smile is more than a method of communicating, it is a means of socialization and attraction whose advantages are taken for granted in the media, both publicly and politically (Gandet, 1987). This media portrayal of the stereotyped smile leads to a standardization of the smile and consequently to an increase in aesthetic demand from patients (Morley and Eubank, 2001). The harmony of the smile is determined not only by the shape, the position and the color of teeth but also by the gingival tissues. The gingival margin should be healthy and harmonious and today both patients and dentists are more aware of the impact of the gingiva on the beauty of the smile (Towsend, 1993). In particular, the periodontist can influence the appearance of the patient’s smile (Garber and Salama, 1996; Dolt and Robbins, 1997; Glise et al, 1999; Borghetti and MonnetCorti, 2000). Periodontium visibility depends on the position of the smile line, which is defined as the relationship between the upper lip and the visibility of gingival tissues and teeth. The smile line is an imaginary line following the lower margin of the upper lip and usually has a convex appearance (Towsend, 1993; Morley and Eubank, 2001) (Fig. 1). Few publications exist regarding the relationship between teeth and periodontium visibility during the smile. In a study of 425 students Crispin and Watson (1981) reported that the gingival margin was visible in 66% of the participants in natural smile. With maximal smiling, 84% of the participants revealed their gingival margin. Tjian et al Smile Line and Periodontium Visibility